Winter water?

[bruceha2000]

I didn't realize you could get a tiny pump like (that).

Mine was advertized as a reptile waterfall pump. I really didn't know what size to get and it is even smaller than the small one in the video. It is about 2"x2"x3". I'll find out how well it works when the temps drop. I'll buy a larger one if the little one can't keep the water moving.

Bruce

 

[bruceha2000]

I think I will need to try it out for a season before I can give it a true endorsement, but it appears to be of high enough build quality. I found it in stock at a local hardware store that I have trust in not to sell junk.

May not have to wait that long, a lot of the 1 star reviews mention it failing within a month if not a couple of days. I think there is only one, and it is made in China so it won't matter if it is sold by a local store with an excellent reputation, a big box store or on the web. Though, I suppose, if the local store got a bad one back, it will surely go in the trash. An online retailer might just restock if they don't know for sure it doesn't work.

I REALLY want this thing to work, then my pump will only run if the ambient temp is close to freezing rather than on the timer schedule regardless of the temp..

Bruce

 

[Island Roo]

In a word, YES.
Are your chickens awake all night drinking water?
Mine either. You may still have liquid water in the source container when the temps drop because it is a larger volume. You may even have liquid water in the center of the pipe. The water closest to the outside of the pipe, and that includes the nipples (especially the nipples), will freeze first. If the warm water isn't flowing through the pipe, moving the colder water back into the source, you will get frozen nipples

and NO ONE wants that!

The system in the 3rd video (the only one I watched) is very similar to mine. There are 2 major differences:
1) Mine is an insulated 5 gallon Igloo drink cooler, outside the coop sitting on a shelf about 18" above the feed pipe (3/4" with saddle nipples). I do not have a problem with them leaking so if the 1.5" pipe he is using is needed to provide enough pressure to keep them from leaking with the bottom of the source being the same height as the nipple pipe, the 18"+ head of my bucket is doing the same for a 3/4" pipe. My return is 3/8" ID clear tubing.
2) I have the water flowing from or near the bottom of the container. He has a point about not having to put pipe into the side or bottom of the source. I'm still messing with keeping them from leaking (using old non insulated bucket at the moment). However, his system requires the pump run 365 days a year or the birds will run out of water. The only way to not run the pump all day, every day, is to revert to his free standing waterers in non freezing periods. I'm not willing to spend electricity 6 or 7 months of the year when Mother Nature can push it through in a free, non polluting way.

Great points.

What's the rating on your pump (gph)?

Do you disconnect the pump in summer?
If the return also entered at the bottom I guess you could just turn the pump off rather than disconnect.

 

[themadchicken]

Quote: I just bought one and so far this week it has worked like it said. It has turned off before i get home in the evening but is on in the morning at 6:00 am when i open the chicken coop doors. so far today the temp has only got as high as 39 and its snowing now so im hoping it stays working. I did have a problem with it falling out of the plug, but since i have it pluged into a extension cord i just taped it the the cord with electrical tape. (my water can is not in the coop but outside in the run as is the cube) i use the cookie tin method but a home made version.

 

[Twister-n-Dos]

May not have to wait that long, a lot of the 1 star reviews mention it failing within a month if not a couple of days. I think there is only one, and it is made in China so it won't matter if it is sold by a local store with an excellent reputation, a big box store or on the web. Though, I suppose, if the local store got a bad one back, it will surely go in the trash. An online retailer might just restock if they don't know for sure it doesn't work.

I REALLY want this thing to work, then my pump will only run if the ambient temp is close to freezing rather than on the timer schedule regardless of the temp..

Bruce

You got me worried! I just went out the coop to make sure it was still working. OK so far. I will post a scathing review if it fails.

I just googled "wiring thermostatically controlled receptacle" and came up with a number of hits. Maybe buying quality
components and wiring something up would be an option.

 

[themadchicken]

When i bought my Thermo Cube there was another brand. It said frost king on it and was marketed to be used with roof deicers. It was around $22.00 but it looked the exact same as the Thermo Cube even the packaging. I didn't look to see who made it.

 

[Our Roost]

You've touched on a few concerning points. Number one being free standing water in pipes. Doesnt take much for a nippler drip of water to freeze I would guess. I will put a thermometer inside the coop and one outside to monitor the inside temp verses the outside temp. Not sure at what temp water freezes at. If it gets that cold inside the coop I will have more than water freezing problems. 1 hen will emit 5 watts of heat. Equate that by the number of birds you have and a bit of extra warmth is added to the coop. I suppose I will learn more as the winter months start to progress.

 

[Island Roo]

You got me worried! I just went out the coop to make sure it was still working. OK so far. I will post a scathing review if it fails.

I just googled "wiring thermostatically controlled receptacle" and came up with a number of hits. Maybe buying quality
components and wiring something up would be an option.

I wired up my own device with an extension cord that feeds into a greenhouse thermostat. From there a short extension cord powers a double outlet box. One side of the is for cooling in the summer (a high set point) and the other side wired to a low set point for heating. I use the same device for antifreeze duty in winter, brooder temp control in spring and fans in the summer.

Quality parts - I feel comfortable leaving my birds alone with it if I have to be away for the whole day or 3. All I have to deal with now is power outages.

 

[Island Roo]

...
2) I have the water flowing from or near the bottom of the container. He has a point about not having to put pipe into the side or bottom of the source. I'm still messing with keeping them from leaking

I going to try a similar system and plan on using something like this 3/4 inch Double Slip Bulkhead Fitting near the bottom of the reservoir.
Thought it might help your situation...
http://www.amazon.com/Double-Slip-Bulkhead-Fitting-inch/dp/B001EUI5IO/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hi_4

 

[bruceha2000]

What's the rating on your pump (gph)?

Do you disconnect the pump in summer?
If the return also entered at the bottom I guess you could just turn the pump off rather than disconnect.

It is an Exo Terra Repti Flow 200: 2.2W 45 GPH. The flow rate is adjustable, basically a volume restrictor. The impeller sits in a round housing with a square hole for the water to go to the tube. The restrictor is a round cap with a similar sized square hole that fits over the impeller housing. It has 4 little suction cup feet and hangs nicely on the wall of the bucket

At 2.2W I guess I don't need to be TOO OCD about running it more than absolutely necessary. Even if it run 24 hours a day, it is still less than 1.6 kW a month. At our rates, that is ~$0.21/month. Still I just hate using energy if it isn't necessary. Now, if I had solar and wind generators, I could use all the "free" electricity and not consider whether there is pollution caused creating that power.

The system doesn't depend on the pump to get water to the nipples, the "other end" does that via gravity. The only purpose for the pump is to ensure that above freezing water is circulating through the pipe. As I've not used it yet, I can't say how effective it will be when we hit below freezing let alone sub-zero F temps. .I didn't put it in until the temps got to where they might go below freezing, I will take it out once we are safe from overnight freezes. No need for it to sit in the bucket unused 7 or 8 months a year.

And a question for you: What Greenhouse thermostat are you using? A quick Google found a number of them made by [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]SureSTAT at one site. They cost about twice what a ThermoCube costs but if they are reliable, I don't mind paying more. [/FONT]